Living on the Edge

Living on the Edge, Ko'olau Ridgeline, Kamananui Trail Summit, HI, March 2019, iPhone 11 Pro © Steven Crisp

Living on the Edge

What if Reality is that we are living on the edge?  The edge of what?

Right on the edge of an epic cliff, the pinnacle of a mythic mountain,
Or perhaps the mysterious precipice of the Here and Now
Looking over the edge, we cannot even see the bottom
It’s occluded by the clouded thinking of our minds

Can you sense that, in your body?  Yeah, I'm feeling a little vertigo, a little bit woozy
Exactly.  That’s what I’m talking about.  You’re tuning into it.
Your body knows something that your mind has chosen to ignore
Or is simply unwilling to recognize or acknowledge or process
And this is difficult to capture in words -- you have to feel your way

Indeed, language is both a pathway and a boundary between us.  Say what?
Life is always about the whole of it … the totality and nothing … that is, No Thing
So that’s a little taste of Living on the Edge … a reframing of you ... if you will
It requires a bit of a shift from your rational mind toward your intuitive sense
But try not to get lost in the language; words can only be a pointer, they’re not the point

Tell me, when did Creation occur?  Uhh,  I don’t know … about 14 billion years ago?
That’s just the Big Bang; I’m asking about Creation itself
Isn’t Creation happening this very moment?  Indeed, only in this moment?
In fact, isn't that knife-edge precipice the very place where Life lives us?
The exhilaration of birthing this very universe, in the eternal Now

You are both an insignificant speck of stardust and a magical note in this universal symphony 
Without you, this world would not exist … think about that … or rather, feel that and be that
Look deeply enough at anything in Nature and you will see it shimmer with Life’s creative energy
You are that very same creative energy … that inexhaustible, infinite potential
It’s coursing through your veins and thriving in the trillions of cells that constitute your body-mind

That creative energy is pumping every heartbeat, which races faster as you inch closer to that edge
Don’t worry!  You cannot fall from this edge, but you can leap, and if you’re willing, soar
Above the clouds of us vs. them, of right and wrong, of judgment and even preference itself
Every present moment of awareness opens up new pathways into fresh insights
Loosening the grip of old habits and patterned reactivity, while healing inner wounds

Isn’t this the place you’d want to live, every day, every moment?  Yeah, I think so
Trust me, thinking won’t get you there … indeed, simply let the mind quiet into stillness and peace
Sit with me, won’t you?  Right Here, Right Now.  Sure, why not ... I'd love to
Let us weave ourselves together into the emerging tapestry of this very moment

Words are not required.  Let’s just feel our hearts beating together, as one.  Can you feel that?  Oh Yes!

Ripples of Light

 

Ripples of Light, Lanikai Beach, HI, May 2020, iPhone 11 Pro © Steven Crisp

Take a moment to watch the video above, it’s less than 2 minutes long

This video gives you a glimpse
of how the Earth and its Oceans and Islands are made
Indeed, how the Cosmos itself was formed
And what makes up the some-body each of us think we are

And what do you see?
Ripples of Light - on the surface
Vibrations of Waves - on the ocean
Undulations of Quanta - on the sandy bottom

It also gives you a glimpse, and a metaphor, if you will
for the interplay of the Cosmos and of Life itself
The manifest dynamic pattern is an unfathomable Wholeness
And no part can be isolated for ease of analysis or exploitation

This is the Wisdom we need at this time — Right Now
To recognize and explicitly value our dependance on this One Earth
And to see our neighbor, and even our so-called enemy, as ourself
Made of the same stuff, we are kith and kin; we're all in this together

There is more, of course, once you begin to see these Ripples of Light
You start noticing them everywhere ... Seeing the shadow dances
Feeling your subtle body sensations as they come and go, 
Watch them simply arise and then pass; this is the Life process itself

All of this is impermanent, is transitory, except, perhaps, 
the awareness that is aware of these “sense”-sations
Science has yet to find the ultimate building blocks of Nature
But many before us have lit candles in this darkness

The common instruction of this exploration is to look within
Hold that candle of awareness, and look deeply into all
that you might think “you” are, and see, that you are not that
No unchanging “self” can be found; nothing fixed anywhere

It may seem unsettling at first, but actually it is such a relief
To be able to drop one’s opinions and beliefs, and replace them 
with curiosity and awe and not-knowing — it’s so liberating
to simply live Life, as it Unfolds, in this Moment, Here and Now

On Fearlessness

 

Trick or Treat?, Lanikai, HI, October 2020, iPhone 11 Pro © Steven Crisp

On Fearlessness

You, my friend, are fearless

And if you think otherwise, please,

Please, know that you can be fearless, 

Just as you are, right now

How so?  Simply this:  Understand that fear

Only exists in the past or the future

You know that from your own experience

Don’t believe me?  Please think, my friend

Think back to a time when you were

Exposed to grave physical danger

Do you remember how, it seemed,

That time, itself, slowed down?

That was you, living fully in the present moment

Remember?  There was no danger or fear; only

Whatever action was needed in the moment

This is the power of being fully present

And so, my friend, please free your mind 

From its shackles of the past and the future

Abide in the timeless, eternal Now, and know

This is where Peace and Love reside

Go there often, my friend, 

Return again and again,

Be that which is your true nature 

And become fearlessness itself

Waving with Wonder

Waving with Wonder, Kailua Beach, Kailua, HI, June 2020, iPhone 11 Pro © Steven Crisp

Imagine that you and I are waves.

It’s a pretty good metaphor

For scientists, poets, and mystics alike

You wave your energy at me

And I wave mine to you.

And in that way we meet, we touch, 

We hold hands or at least share knowing glances.

And if we look deeply, in that moment,

We merge, and we amplify our Being. 

The Two become One. 

And the One joins that which it never left. 

That great Ocean of Being ... our true nature.

  

You have possibly felt this before. 

Had a glimpse of the vastness of your own being.

 Or better ... simply ... Being. 

 And the interconnectedness of all that is.

Think back to when you were a small child. 

Remember the Wonder you had with Life. 

With each new experience ...

The beauty of a flower ...

or the excitement of a butterfly. 

Can you recall a more recent time 

when you felt this Wonder again?  

The flux and the flow of Nature itself.  

And the wondrous realization that you

are not separate from Nature.  

In fact, you are one with Nature. 

You are Nature itself. 

No 'this' or 'that'. 

No 'us' versus 'them'. 

No 'me', 'my', and 'mine'. 

No 'selfing' and no-self.

What is Reality except the waves of somethingness?

You and I are the answer to the question

“Why is there something rather than nothing?”

You are literally made up of waves from the Big Bang. 

You are the Singularity made manifest. 

Everything is exactly as it should be.

How could it be any other way?

We are the sound of a Great Song, 

The Uni-Verse, 

The primordial A-U-M (Om). 

Waves and energy in constant motion.  

Creation and Destruction as one. 

No opposites, only the Whole. 

You can hear it and feel it if you enter the Stillness. 

If you look deeply enough ... into anything, 

You can catch a glimpse ... with awareness. 

Walk through nature. 

Be Present in Nature. 

"Be" Nature, that which you already are. 

Just. Be. Here. Now. 

Do you realize that this Precious Moment ... Is It?

  This is all there is ... the Timeless Present.

And that past and future, both, each,

Can only exist, as memories or plans, Now?

  

Your Mind may fight back, and deny this Reality. 

So let your body sensations help you stay Present, 

And feel that which is alive within you. 

Within me. Within us. 

Within our vast Universe.   

Just ... Waving with Wonder. 

Your Moment of Wow!

Another Kind of Cloudburst, Lanikai Beach, Lanikai, HI,
April 2020, iPhone 11 Pro, © Steven F. Crisp 2020

     What if every word you uttered, was ...                                      Just ... Wow!

     What if every sound you heard, was ...                                      Just ... Wow!

     What if every sight, smell, taste, touch,

     and most importantly, every thought, was                                Just ...  Wow!

     What a wonderful prayer, or gift, 

     or blessing, or even eulogy.                                                       Just ... Wow!

     What a motivational sermon 

     or speech or wedding toast

     or commencement address or pep talk

     or even therapy session.                                                           Just ... Wow!

     What poetry or prose or symphony

     or aria or jazz riff or jam session.                                              Just ... Wow!

     What a way to start each day or end each day 

     and to simply live each and every moment 

     in the timeless Now.                                                                 Just ... Wow!

     What if waking up to Life ...

     that eternal flux and flow ...

     was really that simple.                                                               Just ... Wow!

     What if all of our personal histories, 

     our tightly held opinions, 

     our indoctrinated beliefs, 

     our black and white thinking, 

     are nothing but concepts.  

     None of it real, nor Reality.                                                       Just ... Wow!

     Tonight the stars await your presence.  

     Tomorrow the sunrise will help you see   

     Reality as it is. 

     In all its simplicity. 

     With all its awe.                                                                        Just ... Wow!

     Like the wave that does not die upon the shore. 

     Nor is it born from the depths of the sea.  

     The world is simply waving, waving, always waving.  

     Look closely, deeply, calmly ... so is Thee, so is Thee            Just ... Wow!

              And in the spirit of Saint Jon of the Daily Show ... Here is Your Moment of Zen, er, Wow:

 

What is this? Quite simply ...

Calligraphy by Vietnamese Buddhist monk and author, Thich Nhat Hanh

I came across an article from the online version of Lion's Roar magazine.  I really love the simple, yet deeply profound writing of Thich Nhat Hanh.  He has been such a luminary for our time.  Here are some sections that spoke to me:

Our true home is not in the past. Our true home is not in the future. Our true home is in the here and the now. Life is available only in the here and the now, and it is our true home.

Mindfulness is the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives. You don’t have to wait ten years to experience this happiness. It is present in every moment of your daily life. There are those of us who are alive but don’t know it. But when you breathe in, and you are aware of your in-breath, you touch the miracle of being alive. That is why mindfulness is a source of happiness and joy.

We spend so much of our mental energy and thinking mind focused on the past and the future.  And yet we can, if we choose to, drop the thinking mind to be fully alive and experience the world, as it is, right here, right now.  And only in the here and now.

Most people are forgetful; they are not really there a lot of the time. Their mind is caught in their worries, their fears, their anger, and their regrets, and they are not mindful of being there. That state of being is called forgetfulness—you are there but you are not there. You are caught in the past or in the future. You are not there in the present moment, living your life deeply. That is forgetfulness.

The opposite of forgetfulness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is when you are truly there, mind and body together. You breathe in and out mindfully, you bring your mind back to your body, and you are there. When your mind is there with your body, you are established in the present moment. Then you can recognize the many conditions of happiness that are in you and around you, and happiness just comes naturally.

 This is really so.  I find it is often easiest to experience this way of living when we are connected to the natural world, experiencing the animals, realizing the dance of life all around us, and seeing everything as interconnected (literally).  It is Spring now as I am writing this, and to witness the rebirth of plants and trees and animals that had been dormant or hibernating -- is really awe-inspiring -- something you "feel" rather than "think about".  Hence the connection with your body; itself an integral part of nature's unfolding.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.
-Thich Nhat Hanh

Same Ol', Same Ol'

Same Ol', Same Ol', Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2012, Nikon D5000 with DX 18-200mm VR lens, 
69mm, 1/40 sec @ f4.5, ISO 250, 0.7 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

So how's your day going?  What are you doing?  Same ol', same ol'?

Perhaps today is the day you shake things up a bit.  Add some color to your monochrome existence.

Rather than reaching for that upper corner window, perhaps redefine success.

Instead of fitting into the cookie cutter mold, innovate and recreate.

Instead of going pre-fab, try re-hab.

Instead of watching that classic black and white movie one more time, find some roses and blossom.

Instead of counting down the days, try living the only one that counts.  Today.  Right now.

Day 8: The Heavens

The Heavens, Böblingen, Germany, July 2010,

Nikon D5000, 35mm focal length equiv. 27mm, Exposure 1/800 sec @ f14, ISO 200, no flash

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

You can see where the concepts all came from.  If you try to place yourself back in a time more than two, three, or four-thousand years ago.

You look up and see great sights, awe-inspiring starry nights, powerful lightning storms, and of course the amazing power of our natural world.  This is where the gods live, and later, apparently just one God.

But we realize that words are just labels, and the labels just identify human concepts.  So what would "heaven" really be like, and where does it exist?  

How about right here, right now, at this very moment, in a state of mind that is spaceless, timeless, and completely at peace.

Gotta get me to Heaven.

• Donation:  to Bedford Animal Shelter which is a great place to adopt a pet.
• Exercise:  Went on a vegetarian tour of Vaihingen and Stuttgart today with Carol and Frito; walked 4.26 miles (110 mins.)

Update #1:  Just found these pictures of Earth taken from the International Space Station in my e-mail, and thought they would put the exclamation point on just how far we have come in the past few generations, let alone, a few thousand years.  Enjoy.

Update #2:  Just remembered this classic that I also thought was somehow appropriate.

Imagine -- John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven,

It's easy if you try,

No hell below us,

Above us only sky,

Imagine all the people

living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,

It isnt hard to do,

Nothing to kill or die for,

No religion too,

Imagine all the people

living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,

I wonder if you can,

No need for greed or hunger,

A brotherhood of man,

imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,

but Im not the only one,

I hope some day you'll join us,

And the world will live as one.

Attention, please

Morning Flower Arrangement, Anantara Resort, Chiang Saen, Thailand, November 2005, Pentax Optio 555, Exposure 1/80 sec @ f2.8, ISO 64, with flash © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Can I have your attention please? Do you see our gardener in the picture, at the Anantara Resort in Thailand? He is very focused on his task -- creating a beautiful floating flower arrangement. Not a cell phone in one hand, palm pilot in the other, nor iPod buds in his ears.

I was just reading this NY Times article about multitasking. It did, of course, point out the dangers of distraction of multitasking while driving, or even just crossing the road. And then it went on to try and quantify from a business perspective the impact of letting yourself be interrupted by e-mail. (Yawn. Why must it always be about business.)

But I found this quote rather fascinating:

The human brain, with its hundred billion neurons and hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, is a cognitive powerhouse in many ways. “But a core limitation is an inability to concentrate on two things at once,” said René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University.

Think about that for a minute. We have all heard and perhaps taken for granted that we underutilize our brains. That they are capable of much more than we ask of them. But perhaps, that is much more focused awareness on a single moment. And the next.

Now clearly our brain-body has multiple processing sections. It keeps our heart beating, our lungs breathing, and the rest of our autonomic nervous system running beautifuly in the background while our conscious mind is left free to ponder the next big thing.

But isn't that your experience? That at any moment, your conscious mind is only (can only be) focused on one thing at a time. That's the central processor that is controlling your perception of the Now moment.

And one more thing. If you want to really blow your mind, you can actually stop your thoughts entirely. No, not by sleeping ;-) But by being very accutely and actively aware. Try this experiement.

In a calm, quiet location, after sitting quietly for a while (meditate if you know how), place all of your awareness toward "Speak, I am listening". Don't think about that thought, but rather, actively set your mind to be "listening". Not your ears, but your mind. This conscious awareness of "Speak, I am listening" forestalls your own thoughts as you rest in awareness.

In the beginning, you will be lucky to get a few moments of thought-free time. Your mind will take over and begin its cogitation. But over time, you can extend this period, and then learn to just release each of your thoughts as they arise, and return to the awareness "speak, I am listening".

And so what? Only this: you will actually see your own thoughts arise. And when you do, you will realize that the thinker and the Seer are not the same. It is a peek into a wonderous reality, but we will save that discussion for another time. (You can read more about some aspects of a related experience in a previous blog entry.)

In the meantime, just realize that your conscious mind focuses on one moment at a time. And this is entirely consistent with Life, which is lived only Now. And Now. And Now.